Italy has established IPTTC in Faisalabad at NTU to upgrade local textile sector: Ambassador Andreas Ferrarese

Islamabad: Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan Andreas Ferrarese said this week that Italy had established the Italy-Pakistan Textile Technology Center (IPTTC) in Faisalabad at the National Textile University (NTU) to upgrade the local textile sector.

He said the training centre, which was the first of its kind for Italian textile machinery technology in Pakistan, was inaugurated in the recent past.

The envoy said this project was financed by the Italian government to support the development of the local textiles industry, by equipping it with Italian machinery.

During fiscal year 2019-20, textile, leather, rice, ethanol, textiles articles, sets, worn clothing, cotton, apparel, crocheted, cereals, raw hides and skins, beverages and footwear was major areas of Pakistan export to Italy, he added.

Ambassador Ferrarese said as Pakistan’s imports from Italy increased in these sectors included ships, boats, and other floating structures, machinery, pharmaceutical products, aircraft, spacecraft, electrical, electronic equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel, miscellaneous chemical products, optical, photo, technical and medical apparatus.

The envoy said currently, Italy was providing technical assistance to Pakistan in textiles, leather and marble sectors.

He informed that dairy and livestock, olive and olive products, plastics, processed food and the construction sector were the areas where Italy could extend its cooperation with Pakistan.

Ambassador Ferrarese said new economic mission would be deployed in Pakistan to further promote bilateral trade and economic cooperation in different potential areas.

Initially the new economic mission would be established in major cities of Pakistan including Karachi and Islamabad and later it would be expanded to other potential trade hubs to increase the economic and trade integration between Pakistan and Italy, the he said.

He said that there was huge trade potential in different sectors of economy which needed to be explored and in this regard both sides were engaged in the dialogue process through the Pak-Italy Joint Economic Commission was the forum for bilateral economic engagement and was expected to meet in Rome.